Broken Law

There have been several Irish movies in recent years that revolve around criminal activity and the lower working class and for the most part I have enjoyed them .

This is one of the average ones but it is made watchable by some stand out performances especially from John Connors , who I've seen before and continue to be impressed by.

It's the story of Dave Connolly who is a respected member of the Garda Síochána but his loyalty to the law gets tested by his ex-convict brother Joe who is in desperate need of his help.

The Irish accents take some getting used to and I can imagine that might put a few people off as the sound isn't great either .

It does have an amateurish feel about it at times and that might be seen as a good or a bad thing . It didn't particularly bother me.

The storyline isn't the most exciting either . I'm fact I was bored by it at times but the whole film is carried by the performances and that makes it worth watching .

Route Irish

Great Britain has a healthy legacy of what they call Geezer Films - typically main characters are from the wrong side of the tracks. They usually get caught up in some nafarious activity, mostly cast as victims of circumstance rather than shapers of it.

This is from the other side of the river - Ireland. This is as classic a tale as you can get - a geezer flick with 2 brothers on opposite sides of the law, heck could be a Bollywood film.

The direction is tight and the characters flawed so it is watchable - just about.

Theres not much by way of location photography, majority of it indoors and all that.

Still worth your time and a look into how the other half lives beyond the pretty architecture and clean streets.

A very good police/criminal/family, tripartite tangled web of lies and deceit and greed. First rate acting, first rate plot. A bit extreme as a story but then its the intention of a good drama to entertain and entertain this does. Well worth watching. Just sit back and enjoy.

I was actually going to pass on this one due to the low rating, but chose to search online for the trailer first (not sure why there isn't one on here) and it looked pretty good. I also clicked on the Rotten Tomatoes link and then decided to give this one a go after seeing real critics have this at 100% fresh. I'm sure glad I did.

So this little B-grade gem is a crowd-funded indie film by newb (only a few short prior films) Irish filmmaker Paddy Slatter, who makes his first full length feature film debut as writer, director and producer. I have to say, the selection of good films during these turbulent times is slim to none, and Slatter sure stepped up with Broken Law. This film was so well put together, I had difficulty finding much negative to critique. For that matter, it was better than some films I've seen lately with Hollywood budgets, A-list actors put together by seasoned filmmakers.

Right from the start, I noticed the great soundtrack and score. The pacing was decent for its 85 min runtime and the suspense flowed constantly and smoothly start to finish. Cinematography and camera shots were on point. The directing seemed it was from a seasoned director. The casting of mainly novice actors I've never heard of was great, and every single actor was convincing in their role. Now the writing... yes, these type of stories have been done before, but this one has some nice "wow" and "umm" moments. I even laughed out loud a bunch of times at the light but just right humor. The story felt very real and the constant twists and suspense had my anxiety levels high the entire film. Being written by a newb filmmaker makes it that much more impressive.

Paddy Slatter deserves high praise and mad respect for wearing many hats and being able to pull off such a little gem. He certainly is an up-and-coming filmmaker to watch out for. It's a well deserved 9/10 from me. To see how I rate films or see more of my 1000+ reviews, click on my account name.

It's great to be back at the cinema again, and what a great movie to mark my return. A brilliant cast particularly Graham Early and a cracking old fashioned plot kept me engaged til the very end. Two brothers on the opposite side of the law become involved in a robbery that goes wrong from different sides. Loyalty to family vs job vs friends is the decision that needs to be made. One fantastic scene in particular of the brothers bonding and reminiscing over a spliff. John Connors is usual charismatic self but I'd like to see him in a different type of role for a change. Good solud film making which is really well acted. Recommended.